Jason Kipnis says Indians expect to win now (with video)

The last few years, the Indians went into spring training hoping they could win.

With their recent additions of Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, Drew Stubbs, Brett Myers and Manager Terry Francona, they are now expecting to win.

"Hopefully, they start thinking the way we are, that we can win," Tribe second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "I think we can be competitive this year. We'll be playing the game the right way. Francona and Swisher are big on that aspect. They wouldn't have come here unless they thought they had a chance to win."

Kipnis said adding veteran players like Swisher and Reynolds will make the Indians a better team.

Advertisement

"It makes us much more competitive," he said. "It's not just young guys trying to establish themselves. We have guys who know how to compete. It's changing the shape of this team. We have run producers. We have guys who can steal bases. We have guys who can show us the ropes."

Several players were available before the start of spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. Pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 10.

Kipnis batted .257 with 14 home runs and 76 RBI in 152 games last season for the Indians.

He's thrilled with the hiring of Francona, who won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox.

"I know what he brings to the table," said Kipnis. "He's a player's coach. He's a winner. You talk about him to other guys in the league and they have nothing but good things to say.

"He's proven. He's been there before. It's experience. It's intelligence. It's what we need right now. It will rub off on a lot of other people."

The Tribe spent much of the first half of the season in first place in the Central Division. Then came their major collapse.

"For two years now, we had a good first half and the second half didn't go the way we wanted it to," Kipnis said. "Losses are lessons. Hopefully, we can use it to our advantage the next time we have a little rut. We know it's going to happen. It happens to every team. Hopefully, we can get out of it quicker than last year.

"When the offense was clicking, the pitching and defense didn't. When the pitching was clicking, we couldn't score enough runs. It was like Murphy's Law. What could go wrong, did go wrong for us."

Kipnis said the team has been injected with enthusiasm.

"No one was happy with how the season ended last year," he said. "No one wanted the second half to go the way it did. The front office, the fans and the team waited for something to be done, and it was.

Kipnis is excited with the infusion of speed. The Indians now have three legitimate base stealers in Kipnis (31 stolen bases last season), Stubbs (30) and Michael Brantley (12).

"We have a lot more ways to score runs this year," Kipnis said. "Whether it's power with Swisher and Reynolds, or stealing bases with me, Brantley and Stubbs, we can create a lot more runs."

Hagadone update

Left-handed reliever Nick Hagadone's season ended after a bad outing against Tampa Bay on July 6. He fractured his left forearm after a reported self-inflicted injury upon being taken out of the game. He had surgery, which ended his season. The Indians eventually placed him on the minor-league disqualified list.

He's spent the offseason rehabbing his arm, pitching in the winter league and taking care of his 3-month-old baby.

He said his arm has healed.

"It's perfect," Hagadone said. "(There's) no pain. (It's) not held me back from anything. I'm looking forward to spring training.

"I don't want to go into specifics right now. It's still an ongoing process. It's between the players' union and the team. It's kind of out of my hands. Mentally, I tried to put it out of my mind."

He said he pitched six or seven innings in the Dominican Republic.

"It was a great experience," he said. "Every night felt like I was at a World Cup soccer match."

Hagadone said he started throwing about six weeks after the surgery. He was 1-0 with a 6.39 earned-run average and one save in 27 games last season.

"The pain was gone after that," he said. "It's something I think about a lot. I try my best to block it out. There's no reason wasting my time thinking about it. We're all focused on the future."